SA startup job numbers fall from late 2016

The amount of startup jobs available in South Africa has dropped since the end of last year, indicating a decrease in startup activity in the country.

This is according to data from job aggregator Adzuna, which says the number of startup jobs dropped from over 1,000 in late 2016 to just over 750 at the start of 2017.

“While not all startups require numerous employees or advertise for these online, many do, allowing ample inference into the sector as a whole,” said Adzuna South Africa country manager Jesse Green.

“The startup scene in South Africa has definitely grown over the past five years, however the recent job data suggests a downturn in activity. Are entrepreneurs simply hiring less or are there less startups? Data further down the line in 2017 will possibly show a trend.”

“And that itself is nothing new, since over 40% of the skills sought among startup jobs are for developers, who build and maintain the software or systems required to offer the various innovative products and services,” said Green.

“These skills are rare enough for companies to find overall, let alone for those new firms that are starting up from scratch with precious funding.”

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Passionate about the vibrant tech startups scene in Africa, Tom can usually be found sniffing out the continent's most exciting new companies and entrepreneurs, funding rounds and any other developments within the growing ecosystem.